September 30th — Trilith Studios, Fayetteville, GA (Location of Marvel Films near Atlanta!)
Leadership Institute 2024
Tackling the Grand Challenges of Literacy
An event for district and school leadership. Discounts for ThinkCERCA Partners are available!
Just Announced: Christy Todd
2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year
Named a 2024 National Teacher of the Year Finalist, Christy Todd believes that every child has a creative superpower.
As the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year, Christy traveled thousands of miles delivering over 150 keynotes to teachers, leaders, elected officials, and community stakeholders about the importance of building connections to support public school education. She shares stories of her work as a middle school music technology teacher in Fayette County Public Schools, where she launched Hall Pass Entertainment- a recording label that distributes original student songs, podcasts, video games, short films, audio books and more across major streaming platforms. Passionate about building opportunities for all kids to create, Christy also founded a special music collaboration between fine arts and special education classrooms that has impacted more than 10,000 students over the past 15 years.
Prior to teaching, Todd worked in business development in the nonprofit sector and draws from that experience to build connections between students, colleagues, families and communities. She began her teaching career as a chorus director and still actively conducts honor choirs, along with publishing articles and research for various state, national and international education journals.
Todd currently works at the Georgia Department of Education as an Education Program Specialist in the Office of Teaching and Learning. She is also an adjunct music instructor at
Southern Crescent Technical College and continues to support Hall Pass Entertainment in anadvisory capacity. She received a Bachelor of Music Education from Shorter College and a
Master of Music Education from Florida State University.
Christy Todd
Education Program Specialist
2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year
What is ThinkCERCA's Leadership Institute?
ONE TEAM = ONE GOAL
We invite district and school leaders to the creative community of Trilith Studios for a unique opportunity to build community among system-level leaders and innovators across industries. We aim to inspire you through engaging keynotes, give you a front seat with literacy experts, network with fellow leaders, and create meaningful dialogue.
As leaders come together in a location intentionally designed to drive creativity and innovation, we will tackle the grand challenge of student achievement in literacy and beyond.
From rapidly changing education policy to the impact of AI in education, each of these systems-level leaders must navigate new challenges while optimizing their impact on the future of hundreds of thousands of students.
Trilith Studios
ThinkCERCA is taking over Trilith Studios in Georgia—where iconic Marvel movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) were filmed—for our Leadership Institute 2024! Just like superheroes on the big screen, educators are real-life heroes shaping the future. This year’s institute will bring together visionary leaders to explore the power of AI in education and dive deep into Georgia’s new ELA standards.
Why Attend?
Support for New Standards and Schoolwide Accelerated Literacy Strategies, including AP
Learn simple and actionable approaches to aligning the whole team around accelerated literacy and leave with the materials to implement the strategies. Attendees will have access to AP courseware free, via The College Board.
Support for Secondary Foundational Reading
Take a deep dive into the challenge of implementing a secondary foundational reading program from experienced district leaders and walk away with the tools to make it doable in a crowded schedule.
Support for Multilingual English Langage Learners
Learn strategies for supporting teachers in traditionally monolingual classrooms as they welcome students with diverse language assets and learning needs.
Get Inspired and E N J O Y!
You will have a great time surrounded by education thought-leaders, participating in dynamic community-building, engaging in activities, and experiencing unexpected moments of delight throughout the event. And don't forget, the food will be absolutely delicious!
Speakers
—
Ashley Archie
PARTNERSHIP OFFICER
U.S. Department of State
Dr. Joseph Barrow
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
GSSA
Brian Hill
CEO
Edovo and Senior Fellow, MIT TEJI
Bryan Sandala
DIRECTOR
Digital Writing Tools at The College Board
Caroline Quintana
Former Deputy Chancellor of New York City DOE, Senior Literacy and ML/ELL Advisor
Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto
Former State Superintendent, Hawaii, Founder/CEO of Voice4Equity, Professor USC Rossier
Eileen Murphy
THINKCERCA
CEO and Founder
Dr. Emily LeBlanc
THINKCERCA
AI Product Lead
Dr. Jenny French
THINKCERCA
Foundational Reading Director
We are excited to bring our Leadership Institute to Georgia!
ThinkCERCA Institutes have been a hallmark of our professional learning community for years. Designed to support school- and district-level teams, this event is a great opportunity to deepen your know-how when it comes to critical thinking, literacy pedagogy, and instructional leadership. A full day of programming is available on Monday, September 30th, with an optional pre-event dinner on September 29th and an additional day of optional facilitated planning on October 1st.
Through hands-on workshops and inspiring TED-style presentations, you will walk away with tangible strategies for effectively implementing literacy solutions across your school or district.
Attendees will receive...
✔️ Access to All Professional Learning Sessions, Resources & Materials
✔️ Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
✔️ Networking & Collaboration with other Leaders
✔️ The Confidence & Know-How to Go Further & Faster with your literacy Implementation
Discounts for ThinkCERCA Partners
Are you an existing ThinkCERCA customer? Depending on your school or district's professional development plan, you may be eligible for a discounted or free ticket. Please contact your School Success Manager or reply to this email for more information.
Hotel Recommendations: Trillith Guest House
What to Bring: Please bring a device for a hands-on experience.
“One of the things that really resonated with me [during Leadership Institute 2023] besides the fact of just being around like-minded folks where it becomes a spirit of yes and rather than no but. But looking for really viable solutions to the challenges that we face in our classrooms in our schools.”
Dr. Katie McKnight
Presenter, Leadership Institute 2023
Register Today!